Familiar foes Regina, West Branch tangle once again in girls’ basketball regionals

They are 8 miles apart. They play three times, it seems, every year.

Secrets? There are no secrets between the girls’ basketball programs of Iowa City Regina and West Branch.

“We just did this a few days ago,” Regina Coach Mary Rogers said, and she’s right. The sixth-ranked Regals (18-4) topped the Bears (15-7), 41-31, Feb. 8 for their second conquest this season of their archrivals to the east.

For the fourth time in the past five years, these teams collide in a high-stakes postseason game. Tipoff for their Class 2A regional semifinal is 7 p.m. Friday at Regina.

“It’s just another opportunity to keep playing basketball,” said West Branch Coach Jarod Tylee, whose Bears outlasted Wilton in a regional-quarterfinal overtime thriller Tuesday.

“They know us pretty well, we know them pretty well, and both programs have great respect for each other.”

Regina eliminated West Branch in regional semifinals in 2018 and 2019, then the Bears turned the tables in a regional final last year and eventually reached the state semifinals.

The mainstay from that team is senior post Delanyie Luneckas, who averages 14.0 points, 12.1 rebounds and 4.3 blocks per game.

“They’ll try to get a lot of touches for Delaynie,” Rogers said.

Freshman August Palmer leads the Bears at 15.0 points per contest.

Regina counters with offensive balance among four scorers — junior Grace Gaarde (11.1 ppg), senior Lily Simpson (10.9), freshman Morgan Miller (10.6) and sophomore Alli Clark (9.0).

“We’ll want to attack, not settle for quick shots,” Rogers said. “We want lengthy possessions, and we want to make them worthwhile.”

Lengthy possessions are one reason Regina allows just 35 points per game. A challenging player-to-player defense is another.

“They’re underrated defensively, so good,” Tylee said. “They’re one of the few teams that will play man-to-man.

“You can tell they are coached well defensively. They keep you in front of them.”

The other top area 2A game Friday matches No. 10 Cascade (18-4) and No. 9 Grundy Center (20-2), at Grundy Center.

Intriguing games in 1A include Elkader Central (19-4) at No. 14 East Buchanan (18-5) and English Valleys (20-3) at Montezuma (18-4).

No. 3 Springville (21-1) and No. 6 North Linn (20-2) both are solid favorites to advance.

Regional finals in 1A and 2A are Wednesday.

Friday’s Class 2A Regional Semifinals

(All games, 7 p.m.)

REGION 4

MFL MarMac (19-4) at Denver (21-2)

Osage (19-3) at Aplington-Parkersburg (16-6)

REGION 5

Bellevue (14-8) at Jesup (19-3)

Cascade (18-4) at Grundy Center (20-2)

REGION 6

West Branch (15-7) at Iowa City Regina (18-4)

Louisa-Muscatine (16-4) at Mediapolis (20-2)

Friday’s Class 1A Regional Semifinals

(All games, 7 p.m.)

REGION 4

Clinton Prince of Peace (15-8) at North Linn (20-2)

Elkader Central (19-4) at East Buchanan (18-5)

REGION 5

Collins-Maxwell (16-5) at Springville (21-1)

Waterloo Christian (14-8) at Baxter (23-0)

REGION 6

Winfield-Mount Union (19-4) at Burlington Notre Dame (21-0)

English Valleys (20-3) at Montezuma (18-4)

Comments: jeff.linder@thegazette.com